Malawi Gay Couple Sentenced to 14 Years

Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, the Malawi gay couple convicted Tuesday for holding an engagement ceremony, were sentenced Thursday to 14 years in prison with hard labor.

According to the BBC, Judge Nyakwawa Usiwa-Usiwa told the men, “I will give you a scaring sentence so that the public be protected from people like you, so that we are not tempted to emulate this horrendous example.”

Monjeza, 26, and Chimbalanga, 20, were convicted Tuesday of “gross indecency and unnatural acts” for holding the engagement ceremony in December. They have been in jail since their arrest.

Their lawyer told the BBC the couple would appeal the verdict, which has sparked international outrage. The State Department said the United States was “deeply disappointed” in the verdict Wednesday.

Homosexuality is illegal in Malawi under British colonial era laws.